Mock airplanes lend an aeronautical theme to the North Valleys Regional Splash Park near Reno, Nevada. PolySoft safety material called PolySoft Flexible Seamless Paving was used for the surface of Splash Park. The surface was poured into place. All of the wet-play equipment came from Rain Drop Products, WhiteWater and Water Odyssey.

The annual Reno Championship Air Races always draw huge crowds to northern Nevada, so when a local parks department decided to add another venue to its list of recreation and family-fun sites, it called upon the Stantec team to come up with something special.

Stantec did "?u and the North Valleys Regional Splash Park and its aeronautical theme were born.

Some of the fun features of Splash Park include a mock dual-prop airplane, made by Rain Drop Products, with water spraying out of its spinning propellers and wings, and the Hydrostructure water and play structure that comes from WhiteWater.

The landscape architect was directed to include as many water features as possible into Splash Park, located near Reno-Steadman Airport, site of the Air Races. At the same time, community members favored an aeronautical theme for the park, and Stantec delivered in a novel way.

Splash Park includes 7,000 square feet of wet-play area. The park is conservation-friendly, though. Water is diverted to one spot and then it drains into a filtration system. It is then treated with ultraviolet light and recycled back into the park. California Commercial installed the two miles of underground piping and water lines.

Stantec and the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space Department worked jointly to transform part of an existing nearby park into a lively place for children and young people.

Splash Park is now considered "a knockout summer recreational destination for the Reno area," Stantec said in a prepared statement.

Team List
Stantec – Landscape Architecture, Site Planner, and Civil, Structural and Electrical Engineer
Aquatic Design Group (ADG) – Stantec and Aquatic Design Group collaborated on the theming and preliminary design. The final design was done by ADG.

 

The picnic tables and benches are from Wabash Valley, Shade Systems constructed the shade canopies, and GameTime installed the rest of the playground equipment. Patterson-Williams made the trash receptacles, bike racks and bollards. Rain Drop Products made some of the items, such as the windsock tumbling bucket; tall tulip spray; and all of the mock jets. WhiteWater provided the "Hydrostructure" water and play structure. Water Odyssey manufactured items such as the "Flight Tower"; Airplane Mountain sprayer; and Water Bomber Aqua Spout.

Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture and other disciplines. It was founded in 1954 and has offices throughout North America and internationally.

The goal was achieved through a $2.6 million renovation. Stantec completed the landscape architecture, and the civil, structural and electrical engineering, while Stantec and Aquatic Design Group collaborated on the design aspects.

Splash Park is a 7,000 square-foot wet-play area with 60 spray heads and 20 different water features. Two miles of water pipes, decorative security and windscreen fencing, landscaping, shade canopies, signage and on-site furnishings also support the park.

A mock Grumman Model F8F-2 Bearcat racing plane sits atop the large Splash Park structure, as some 60 spray heads made by Rain Bird are used in its many water features.

Mock airplanes similar to those that are seen at the Championship Air Races play a prominent role at Splash Park. Two planes serve as focal points, including the "Rare Bear," modeled after the Grumman Model F8F-2 Bearcat racer. This plane sits atop the large Splash Park structure.

A dual-prop seaplane can also be seen high on a "runway" in the center of the Splash Park. Water sprayers have been installed along this runway and checkered-flag patterns have been placed on a dump bucket and an adjacent "air control tower."

Because Lake Tahoe is nearby, a map of the lake is also featured on the soft-surface ground pad, with well-known landmarks such as Emerald Bay and South Shore clearly marked.

Decorative and windscreen fencing installed by Betafence provide both security and protection from the elements at Splash Park. Garden Shop Landscaping was the landscaping contractor.

The site is also close to the North Valleys Community Center, so Splash Park goes well with parties, picnics and other types of entertainment that are held there.

Splash Park was also designed and built with water conservation in mind. The park is graded in such a manner that water collects in a common spot and then drains into a filtration system through a pump hose. The water is then treated with ultraviolet light and recycled back into the park. The parking lot also has a bioswale to collect storm water runoff that is used to irrigate the landscaping.



Materials and Manufacturers
• PolySoft put in the Splash Pad safety surface called PolySoft Flexible Seamless Paving
•Betafence fencing
•Wabash Valley benches and picnic tables
•Shade Systems shade canopies
• GameTime playground equipment
• Patterson-Williams trash receptacles, bike racks and bollards
•California Commercial installed approximately two miles of underground piping and pump system.
•Rain Bird put in the 60 rotating spray heads
• Rain Drop Products provided the following: rain plane; windsock tumbling bucket; rain soaker (2); tall tulip spray; jumping juniors; upstream jets (44); star jet; mystical fun (three); slant jets (2); circle time; fan jets (five).
• WhiteWater, a water park and attractions company, made the "Hydrostructure" water and play structure.
•Water Odyssey installed the "Big Sqwerts" water cannon; "Lil Sqwerts" water cannon; Fun Forms Aero Joe Aqua Slide; Fun Forms "Flight Tower"; Fun Forms Airplane Mountain Aqua Sprayer; Fun Forms Kid Corsair Aqua Spout; and Water Bomber Aqua Spout.
• Garden Shop Landscaping was the landscaping contractor.